Gubernskie Vedomosti

(Provincial Reports), the name of official government newspapers of tsarist Russia published in provinces and oblasts (in the latter instance, they were called Oblastnye vedomosti [Oblast Reports]).

A Senate decree on the publication of Gubernskie vedomosti (initially published in six provinces) was issued in October 1830, but it was not implemented. A statute of 1837 called for the publication of Gubernskie vedomosti in all provinces. The paper consisted of two parts: an official section, which carried decrees and orders of the authorities, as well as government announcements, and a nonofficial section, with local news, information about natural phenomena, commerce, agriculture, industry, educational institutions, and history, and private announcements. The publication of the Gubernskie vedomosti was wholly entrusted to the provincial administration.

In 1838 these newspapers were published in 42 provinces. Later, at various times they made their appearance in most of the provinces and oblasts, and they continued to be issued until 1917. In the postreform period (after 1861), the Gubernskie vedomosti broadened their coverage to some extent, having received permission to reprint political news and articles from central official publications. The nonofficial sections of the newspapers became far richer and more diversified in content. The official provincial newspapers published ordinances, which in some cases contained material on government policy and its implementation and the history of the working of provincial and district institutions. In addition, during the period of their publication, the nonofficial sections of these newspapers carried an enormous quantity of material on the history, ethnology, archaeology, and geology of various regions and oblasts of the Russian Empire.

The contributors to the Gubernskie vedomosti included many eminent public figures: A. I. Herzen (the Vladimir paper), M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin (Viatka), and M. V. Pet-rashevskii and M. A. Bakunin (Irkutsk), as well as local historians, historians, and ethnologists.